Śrīman Mahāprabhu asked: “Of all types of knowledge, which is the most important?”

Rāmānanda Rāya replied: “Kṛṣṇa-bhakti is the essence of all knowledge. Apart from this there is no other type of knowledge.”

Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura has explained that in the first line Mahāprabhu asks a question, and in the second line, Śrī Rāmānanda Rāya gives the answer. Mahāprabhu asked:

“Which type of knowledge is the topmost?”

and Rāya replied:

“Apart from knowledge of kṛṣṇa-bhakti, there is no other knowledge.”

This means that, although the jīva is an eternal servant of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, because of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s external, or illusionary, potency, the jīva forgets his constitutional position and considers his temporary gross body to be his eternal identity. The knowledge about how to become situated in one’s pure eternal form from such a condition, and to realise one’s nature as being a servant of Kṛṣṇa – this constitutes sādhana, specifically the performance of bhakti to Śrī Kṛṣṇa. By this knowledge one can understand jīva-tattva, māyā-tattva, bhāgavat-tattva, and all other tattvas progressively. Ultimately, the unconquerable Śrī Kṛṣṇa is controlled by the śuddha-bhakti of a devotee.

That knowledge, or vidyā, which is above all others, is knowledge of the nature of devotion to Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Material knowledge (jaḍa-vidyā) leads to material enjoyment, but that vidyā which gives knowledge of viṣṇu-bhakti is far superior to even knowledge of the impersonal Brahman (brahma-vidyā), which is beyond any material knowledge. However, even superior to knowledge of viṣṇu-bhakti is knowledge of kṛṣṇa-bhakti.

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam supports this siddhānta in so many places:

tat karma hari-toṣaṁ yat

sā vidyā tan-matir yayā

(Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 4.29.49)

“Factual work, or karma, is that by which one can satisfy Śrī Hari. Factual vidyā, or knowledge, is that by which one’s mind is absorbed in Bhagavān.”

śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ

smaraṇaṁ pāda-sevanam

arcanaṁ vandanaṁ dāsyaṁ

sakhyam ātma-nivedanam

iti puṁsārpitā viṣṇau

bhaktiś cen nava-lakṣaṇā

kriyeta bhāgavaty addhā

tan manye ’dhītam uttamam

(Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 7.5.23–24)

Śrī Prahlāda Mahārāja says: “The bhakti of Bhagavān Viṣṇu has nine limbs: hearing and chanting about the transcendental holy name, form, qualities, and pastimes of Lord Viṣṇu; remembering them; serving His lotus feet; offering the Lord respectful worship; offering prayers to the Lord; becoming His servant; becoming His friend; and surrendering everything unto Him. If one performs these nine limbs of devotion with a mood of surrender, then we should know this to be the topmost knowledge of the scriptures. His cultivation of the scriptures is successful.”

And it is also described here:

idaṁ hi puṁsas tapasaḥ śrutasya vā

sviṣṭasya sūktasya ca buddhi-dattayoḥ

avicyuto ’rthaḥ kavibhir nirūpito

yad-uttamaśloka-guṇānuvarṇanam

(Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.5.22)

“Learned persons accept as the pinnacle of knowledge the very best verses, which describe Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s qualities and activities.”

In the following verses spoken between Śrīman Mahāprabhu and Śrī Rāmānanda Rāya, there is a gradation and comparison between the relative worth of material objects and transcendental objects, as well as a discussion of subject matter affiliated with Goloka and Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s unmotivated devotional service. The material conception is thus defeated and the worth of transcendence is established.

What is the most glorious act?

8.245

‘kīrti-gaṇa-madhye jīvera kon baḍa kīrti?’

‘kṛṣṇa-bhakta baliyā yāṅhāra haya khyāti’

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu then asked: “Out of all glorious activities of the jīva, which is the greatest?”

Śrī Rāmānanda Rāya replied: “To be called a devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa is the topmost glory of the jīva.”

In the material world there are many, many glories that may be attributed to a jīva, like wealth, wonderful qualities, intelligence, or fame. However, all such reputation is related to this material body. Upon the body’s demise, this fame is destroyed along with it. The greatest form of fame in this world is therefore to become a premī-bhakta, because such fame is directly related to the soul. The soul is unending and eternal. Factually, it is composed of eternality, knowledge, and bliss (sac-cid-ānanda-maya). Since the soul is never destroyed, the devotees of Śrī Kṛṣṇa are likewise never destroyed. Devotees of Kṛṣṇa are just like a boat, and one cannot know how many jīvas they shelter and ferry across the ocean of birth and death. The devotees alone secure the qualification to serve their worshipful Lord. Performing such service, they successfully dispel lamentation, illusion, and attachment forever.

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (11.19.40) says:

vidyātmani bhidā-bādhaḥ

“Knowledge of the soul nullifies duality.”

To be known as a devotee of Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the greatest fame. It is the jīva’s considered opinion, due to his greed for material objects of sense enjoyment, that service to inert matter constitutes the greatest fame. Actually, the best position is to be known as a viṣṇu-bhakta, which is superior even to the topmost fame within this material world. This means to be afforded the position of a knower of Brahman. Yet, greater than the glory of being a devotee of Śrī Viṣṇu is to be renowned as a devotee of Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Indra states in Garuḍa Purāṇa:

kalau bhāgavataṁ nāma

durlabhaṁ naiva labhyate

brahma-rudra-padotkṛṣṭaṁ

guruṇā kathitaṁ mama

“In this Age of Kali, it is extremely rare to find one who is celebrated as an excellent devotee, or a bhāgavata. However, such a position is superior to that of the major demigods like Brahmā and Mahādeva.”

In Itihāsa-samuccaya, in the conversation between Śrī Nārada and Puṇḍarīka, Śrī Nārada says:

janmāntara-sahasreṣu

yasya syād buddhir īdṛśī

dāso ’haṁ vāsudevasya

sarvān lokān samuddharet

“‘I am Bhagavān Vāsudeva’s servant.’ A person who realises this after thousands and thousands of births can deliver the entire universe.”

In the conversation between Śrī Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna, as recorded in the Ādi Purāṇa it states:

bhaktānām anugacchanti muktayaḥ śrutibhiḥ saha

“The liberated souls (mukta-puruṣas) and the Vedic literatures follow the footsteps of the devotees of the Lord.”

In Bṛhad-nāradīya Purāṇa, it is further stated:

adyāpi ca muni-śreṣṭhā brahmādyā api devatāḥ

prabhāvaṁ na vijānanti viṣṇu-bhakti-ratātmanām

“Until today, even the great sages and demigods such as Brahmā did not know the influence of a devotee absorbed in viṣṇu-bhakti.”

The Garuḍa Purāṇa similarly states:

brāhmaṇānāṁ sahasrebhyaḥ satra-yājī viśiṣyate

satra-yāji-sahasrebhyaḥ sarva-vedānta-pāragaḥ

sarva-vedānta-vit-koṭyā viṣṇu-bhakto viśiṣyate

vaiṣṇavānāṁ sahasrebhya ekānty eko viśiṣyate

ekāntinastu puruṣā gacchanti parama padam

“Out of thousands of brāhmaṇas, one who is qualified to perform sacrifices is the best, and out of many thousands of such qualified brāhmaṇas, one who is learned in the Vedānta is considered the best among all. Out of thousands of such knowledgeable brāhmaṇas, one who is a devotee of Lord Viṣṇu is the best, and out of many thousands of devotees of Viṣṇu, one who is a one-pointed Vaiṣṇava is the best. Indeed, such an unalloyed Vaiṣṇava certainly attains the supreme destination.”

In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (3.13.4), it is stated:

śrutasya puṁsāṁ sucira-śramasya

nanv añjasā sūribhir īḍito ’rthaḥ

tat-tad-guṇānuśravaṇaṁ mukunda-

pādāravindaṁ hṛdayeṣu yeṣām

“O muni, hearing the qualities of a devotee in whose heart the lotus feet of Śrī Mukunda are always present is the main fruit of one who has undergone long, hard endeavour in the study of the scriptures. This is the opinion of learned persons.”

In Nārāyaṇa-vyūha-stava it is said:

nāhaṁ brahmāpi bhūyāsaṁ

tvad-bhakti-rahito hare

tvayi bhaktas tu kīṭo ’pi

bhūyāsaṁ janma-janmasu

“I do not aspire to take birth as a Brahmā, if I am to be a Brahmā devoid of devotion. I am praying to get the association of Your devotees, even if I have to take thousands of births as an insect.”

sva-dharma-niṣṭhaḥ śata-janmabhiḥ pumān

viriñcatām eti tataḥ paraṁ hi mām

avyākṛtaṁ bhāgavato ’tha vaiṣṇavaṁ

padaṁ yathāhaṁ vibudhāḥ kalātyaye

(Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 4.24.29)

Śrī Mahādeva says to Śrī Maitreya: “A person who properly executes his occupational duty, or varṇāśrama-dharma, for one hundred births becomes qualified to occupy the post of Brahmā, and if he becomes even more pious, he can approach me (Lord Śiva). A person who is an unalloyed devotee of Śrī Viṣṇu is immediately promoted after death to the supreme destination, which is completely beyond the material universe. I myself in my Rudra form, as well as other ruling demigods, attain these planets only after the destruction of this material world and our positions within it.”

śriyam anucaratīṁ tad-arthinaś ca

dvipada-patīn vibudhāṁś ca yat sva-pūrṇaḥ

na bhajati nija-bhṛtya-varga-tantraḥ

katham amum udvisṛjet pumān kṛta-jñaḥ

(Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 4.31.22)

“By nature Bhagavān is completely full of bliss. He does not care for the goddess of fortune, Lakṣmī, who always remains engaged in His service, or for the kings who perform everything to attain her favour, or for the other demigods. Despite this, He becomes dependent on His devotees. Aho! How could a person who is actually grateful, be able to leave Śrī Hari, who is such an ocean of mercy, even for a moment?”

In the words of Śrī Brahmā:

tad astu me nātha sa bhūri-bhāgo

bhave ’tra vānyatra tu vā tiraścām

yenāham eko ’pi bhāvaj-janānāṁ

bhūtvā niṣeve tava pāda-pallavam

(Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.14.30)

“Therefore, O Bhagavān, I pray to be so fortunate that in this life or the next, whether I take birth as any kind of bird or beast, I may be a servant of any of Your servants, and again be able to engage in devotional service to Your lotus feet.”

In regard to Śrī Prahlāda being the best of all the devotees, Śrī Rudra says:

bhakta eva hi tattvena

kṛṣṇaṁ jānāti na tv aham

sarveṣu hari-bhakteṣu

prahlādo ’ti-mahattamaḥ

(Skanda Purāṇa)

“A devotee is one who understands Kṛṣṇa in truth. I am not among them. Amongst all of Śrī Hari’s devotees, Prahlāda Mahārāja is the best.”

In addition:

kvāhaṁ rajaḥ-prabhāva īśa tamo ’dhike ’smin,

jātaḥ suretara-kule kva tavānukampā

na brahmaṇo na tu bhavasya na vai ramāyā,

yan me ’rpitaḥ śirasi padma-karaḥ prasādaḥ

(Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 7.9.26)

Prahlāda Mahārāja is saying:

“O my Lord, just look at my position. I was born in a demonic family full of the hellish material qualities of passion and ignorance.

What is to be said of Your causeless mercy?

You are glorious! You offered Your supreme mercy and kept Your lotus hand on my head. This is the topmost reward and fully removes material miseries. You never did this for Lord Brahmā, Lord Śiva, or even for Lakṣmī.”

bhāvanti puruṣā loke

mad-bhaktās tvām anuvratāḥ

bhavān me khalu bhaktānāṁ

sarveṣāṁ pratirūpa-dhṛk

(Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 7.10.21)

Bhagavān Śrī Nṛsiṁha-deva is saying: “O My son Prahlāda! The people in this material world who will follow your example will become My devotees. You are an ideal for all of My devotees.”

The Pāṇḍavas are far superior, even to bhakta Prahlāda:

yūyaṁ nṛ-loke bata bhūri-bhāgā

lokaṁ punānā munayo ’bhiyanti

yeṣāṁ gṛhān āvasatīti sākṣād

gūḍhaṁ paraṁ brahma manuṣya-liṅgam

sa vā ayaṁ brahma mahad-vimṛgya

kaivalya-nirvāṇa-sukhānubhūtiḥ

priyaḥ suhṛd vaḥ khalu mātuleya

ātmārhaṇīyo vidhi-kṛd guruś ca

(Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 7.10.48–49)

The spiritual master of the demigods, Śrī Nārada Muni, said to the Pāṇḍavas: “O Yudhiṣṭhira, of all the people on this Earth planet, your good fortune is exceedingly glorious, because the Absolute Truth, Parabrahman, the all-pervading Supersoul, has taken a human form and secretly lives in your palace. Great saintly persons, who purify the entire creation, again and again visit you and your palace for His darśana.”

“Great saintly persons continually search for Him, the Paramātmā, the Parabrahman, and the all peaceful embodiment of topmost ecstasy, who is completely devoid of even the slightest trace of māyā. That same Śrī Kṛṣṇa for whom they search is your beloved friend, well-wisher, your maternal cousin, worshipful deity, obedient servant, and spiritual master. Indeed, He is like your very own self.”

Superior to the Pāṇḍavas are the Yādavas:

aho bhoja-pate yūyaṁ

janma-bhājo nṛṇām iha

yat paśyathāsakṛt kṛṣṇaṁ

durdarśam api yoginām

(Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.82.28)

At the time of the solar eclipse at Kurukṣetra, the assembled earthly kings said: “O King of the Bhojas, Ugrasena, among all the men of this world, only the lives of you Yadus are truly successful. You are glorious! You are greatly blessed, because you continuously behold Śrī Kṛṣṇa, who is rarely visible even to great yogīs.”

tad-darśana-sparśanānupatha-prajalpa-

śayyāsanāśana-sayauna-sapiṇḍa-bandhaḥ

yeṣāṁ gṛhe niraya-vartmani vartatāṁ vaḥ

svargāpavarga-viramaḥ svayam āsa viṣṇuḥ

(Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.82.30)

“O Ugrasena, you have marital and blood relationships with Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Not only that, you constantly see and touch Him and you walk, talk, sleep, sit, and dine with Him. You are caught in the net of family affairs, which is the path to hell, but in your palace the all-pervading Lord Viṣṇu, the mere darśana of whom makes one forget about residence in heaven and liberation, has taken one form and resides there with you.”

Uddhava is superior to the Yadus:

na tathā me priyatama

ātma-yonir na śaṅkaraḥ

na ca saṅkarṣaṇo na śrīr

naivātmā ca yathā bhavān

(Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 11.14.15)

“O Uddhava, as a premī-bhakta you are more dear to Me than My son, Brahmā; than Śaṅkara; than My real brother Balarāma; and than Lakṣmī, who is My wife. You are dearer to Me than My own self.”

Śrī Uddhava prayed: “Of all embodied beings upon this earth, these gopīs are certainly the best and they alone are successful, because they have the utmost divine ecstasy named mahābhāva for the soul of all souls, Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Their most exalted loving position is coveted not only by those who are desirous of liberation due to being afraid of material existence, nor only by greats saints and liberated mukta-puruṣas, but also by devotees such as myself. However we are unable to achieve it. If one cannot achieve the rasa emanating from topics of the kathā of Bhagavān, then what is the benefit of taking birth again and again as Lord Brahmā and having a life span of millions of years?”

In Bṛhad-vāmana Purāṇa, Śrī Brahmā says to Bhṛgu and the other ṛṣis:

śaṣṭi-varśa-sahasrāṇi mayā taptaṁ tapaḥ purā

nanda-gopa-vraja-strīṇāṁ pāda-reṇūpalabdhaye

tathāpi na mayā prāptās tāsāṁ vai pāda-reṇavaḥ

nāhaṁ śivaśca śeṣaśca śrīśca tābhiḥ samāḥ kvacit

“Although I performed severe austerities for sixty thousand years to attain the dust from the vraja-gopīs’ lotus feet, I was unable to attain it. You should clearly understand that I (Brahmā), Śaṅkara, Śeṣa, and Lakṣmī are not equal to the vraja-gopīs.”

In the Ādi Purāṇa, Śrī Bhagavān says:

na tathā me priyatamo brahmā rudraś ca pārthiva

na ca lakṣmīr na cātmā ca yathā gopī-jano mama

“O Pārtha (Arjuna), not even Brahmā, Śiva, Lakṣmī-devī, or even My own self is as dear to Me as the gopīs of Vraja.”

Among the vraja-gopīs, Śrīmatī Rādhikā is the most excellent, and Śrī Kṛṣṇa is indeed Her dear-most beloved. Taking Her mood and complexion He came as Śrī Gaurāṅga, whose topmost confidential servitor is Śrīla Rūpa Goswāmīpāda. Śrī Rūpa’s single-pointed followers are widely celebrated as rūpānugas, and he is described thus in Caitanya-candrāmṛta:

āstāṁ vairāgya-koṭir bhavatu śama-dama-kṣānti-maitry-ādi-koṭis

tattvānudhyāna-koṭir bhavatu bhavatu vā vaiṣṇavī-bhakti-koṭiḥ

koṭy-aṁśo ’py asya na syāt tad api guṇa-gaṇo yaḥ svataḥ-siddha āste

śrīmac-caitanya-candra-priya-caraṇa-nakha-jyotir-āmoda-bhājām

“Persons who are receiving the bliss coming from the rays of the effulgent toe nails of the lotus feet of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s beloved devotees are fully qualified with all transcendental qualities. The unlimited good qualities that are found in the devotees of Viṣṇu, such as strong renunciation, equanimity, sense control, forgiveness, and friendship with all living entities, even if multiplied millions of times, cannot be compared to a fraction of the transcendental attributes of those who are the recipients of the mercy of the devotees of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.”

What is the greatest treasure?

8.246

‘sampattira madhye jīvera kon sampatti gaṇi?’

‘rādhā-kṛṣṇe prema yāṅra, sei baḍa dhanī’

Śrīman Mahāprabhu asked: “Of all the different varieties of riches, what is the greatest treasure of the jīva?”

Śrī Rāmānanda Rāya replied: “Whoever possesses the wealth of prema to Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa is the wealthiest.”

In this world, the jīvas possess many sorts of wealth, but these material riches are destructible. From the ancient past till now they have they not given anyone any real happiness, nor shall they ever do so in the future. Never mind the ordinary jīvas, Indra’s opulences and Lord Brahmā’s own planet are destructible and thus are merely fleeting. Such wealth may be destroyed at any moment. Yet, whoever possesses the wealth of prema to Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa is truly the wealthiest person. Even Svayam Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa, who is the wealth of the wealthy, personally runs behind such a person. In actual fact, such a premī-bhakta is able to bestow his incalculable wealth of prema upon another and make him completely happy forever.

The suffering jīva is full of material desires to enjoy, and is totally addicted to matter. He pursues sense gratification and so considers the attainment of material wealth to be his primary duty. But if one comprehensively deliberates upon the various categories of wealth, with subtle spiritual discrimination, then factually no other wealth can compare with the wealth of prema for Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa.

kim alabhyaṁ bhāgavati

prasanne śrī-niketane

tathāpi tat-parā rājan

na hi vāñchanti kiñcana

(Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.39.2)

“O Parīkṣit, is there anything unattainable for those devotees who have pleased Śrī Kṛṣṇa, who is the shelter of Lakṣmī, the goddess of fortune?

Such devotees can obtain whatever they may fancy, even though they do not desire anything.”

What is the greatest distress?

8.247

‘duḥkha-madhye kona duḥkha haya gurutara?’

‘kṛṣṇa-bhakta viraha vinā duḥkha nāhi dekhi para’

Śrīman Mahāprabhu asked: “Of all kinds of unhappiness, which is the most distressful?”

Śrī Rāmānanda Rāya replied: “Separation from the devotee of Śrī Kṛṣṇa is truly the greatest misery. There is no suffering worse than this.”

Only they who know the essence of bhakti can really know the glories of the devotees of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, and they alone can appreciate the association of a devotee as being the supreme gain. No one else can understand this. It has been said:

sva-jīvanādhika-prārthya-śrī-viṣṇu-jana-saṅgateḥ

vicchedena kṣaṇañ cātra na sukhāṁśaṁ labhāmahe

(Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta 1.5.54)

Mahārāja Śrī Yudhiṣṭhira said: “In fact, the association of devotees of Bhagavān Śrī Viṣṇu is more precious to us than our own life. On the other hand, due to separation from those very devotees in this world, we cannot get even a moment of happiness now.”

Kṛṣṇa says elsewhere:

mām anārādhya duḥkhārtaḥ

kuṭumbāsakta-mānasaḥ

sat-saṅga-rahito martyo

vṛddha-sevā-paricyutaḥ

“One who fails to worship Me, who is overly absorbed in material life, who does not stick to the path of devotional service, who does not affiliate with saintly personalities, and who does not serve his elders, is a most unhappy fellow.”

Who is truly liberated?

8.248

‘mukta-madhye kon jīva mukta kari’ māni?’

‘kṛṣṇa-prema yāṅra, sei mukta-śiromaṇi’

Śrīman Mahāprabhu then said: “Out of all liberated persons, which jīva should be accepted as truly liberated?”

Rāmānanda Rāya replied: “He who has prema for Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the crown jewel of all liberated persons.”

The real meaning of mukta, or liberated soul, is one who is freed from material bondage. Those fortunate persons in whom kṛṣṇa-prema is present are factually the crown jewels among liberated personalities.

Parīkṣit Mahārāja has said:

muktānām api siddhānāṁ

nārāyaṇa-parāyaṇaḥ

su-durlabhaḥ praśāntātmā

kotiṣv api mahā-mune

(Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 6.14.5)

“O great sage, even out of many millions of perfected and liberated persons, it is very difficult to meet a mahā-puruṣa who is completely and exclusively dedicated to Bhagavān. Such a premī-bhakta day and night remains immersed in the pure nectar of kṛṣṇa-prema and by continually savouring that indescribable nectar, he becomes forgetful of his own body.”

jāya prema bhayo mana-mohana se

vānai choḍa diyā sabaro ghara bārā

bhāva-vibhora rahe niśi-dina

aura nayana bahata avirala dhārā

masta rahe, alamasta rahe

bāke pīche ḍolata nanda ko lālā

‘sundara’ aise bhakta ke hita

bauhe pasārata madana gopālā

“Those who have love and affection for Madana-mohana Śrī Kṛṣṇa, leave everything for Him, including wife, children, relatives, and home. They are always sinking in love and affection for Him, and due to that love, tears continually flow from their eyes. Such devotees are always blissful, and Śrī Kṛṣṇa always follows behind them wherever they may go. Madana-mohana Śrī Kṛṣṇa waits to embrace such devotees with arms wide open.”

A kṛṣṇa-premī-bhakta is factually liberated in the above manner.

What is the greatest song?

8.249

‘gāna-madhye kona gāna—jīvera nija dharma?’

‘rādhā-kṛṣṇera prema-keli’—yei gītera marma’

Śrīman Mahāprabhu asked: “Among many songs, which one is the natural activity of the living entity?”

Without intrinsic dharma, nothing can exist; without the intrinsic dharma of the soul, the soul cannot exist. Every question asked by Śrīman Mahāprabhu referred to the soul; He never inquired using the words “human beings” or “mankind.” For the benefit of the jīvas, Śrīman Mahāprabhu asked about duties pertaining to the intrinsic activity (svarūpa-dharma) of the jīva. Therefore, it is the constitutional position of the living being to perform saṅkīrtana, or congregational chanting, of the loving pastimes of Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa. Owing to the great ecstasy of prema inherent within Their amorous pastimes, simply hearing such songs creates an awakening within one’s internal consciousness. Thus, a song that intrinsically consists of such glorification is the real essence of all songs. Those songs that are found in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam – such as Veṇu-gīta, Gopī-gīta, Bhramara-gīta, and Yugala-gīta – are classified as being svarūpa-dharma, or the constitutional function of the spirit soul. Sāma Veda is a body of prayers that are also accepted as songs. By nature the jīva is the eternal servant of Śrī Kṛṣṇa. It is, therefore, his factual religion to sing about the pastimes of his worshipful deity.

anugrahāya bhaktānāṁ

mānuṣaṁ deham āsthitaḥ

bhajate tādṛśīḥ krīḍa

yāḥ śrutvā tat-paro bhavet

(Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.33.36)

In order to bestow His mercy upon the jīvas, Śrī Bhagavān manifests His human-like form and performs such pastimes that induce anyone who hears about them to become devoted to Him. The living beings, now dedicated to the Lord, become ecstatic in prema and begin to sing of His pastimes.

The best of saints, Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī, has said that when Śrī Kṛṣṇa goes to the forest for cow-grazing, He gets tired from walking so far. Using a friend’s lap as a pillow, He falls asleep. Some friends massage His feet, while others fan Him very slowly. To please Him while He rests happily, the animals and birds sing of His amorous pastimes with Śrī Rādhā.

What is the most beneficial activity?

8.250

‘śreyo-madhye kona śreyaḥ jīvera haya sāra?’

‘kṛṣṇa-bhakta-saṅga vinā śreyaḥ nāhi āra’

Śrīman Mahāprabhu asked: “Out of all beneficial activities, which is the most favourable for the living entities?”

Rāmānanda Rāya replied: “There is no pursuit more auspicious than to associate with Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s devotees.”

Śreya means “auspicious.” The result of affiliating with Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s devotees is that one is able to obtain kṛṣṇa-prema. Therefore, the association of these devotees is the ultimate form of good fortune. Having forgotten his svarūpa as the eternal servant of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the jīva instead becomes the servant of the illusory potency (māyā), and as he is ground upon the mortar of māyā, he suffers great misery. However, when the jīva gains the association of one of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s devotees by devotional activities that he has performed unknowingly or even accidentally (ajñāta-sukṛti), then under the shelter of those elevated souls, he is gradually enabled to comprehend his state of opposition to Bhagavān, whereupon he abandons sensual happiness, and begins to internalise himself. The devotees of Śrī Kṛṣṇa are just like veritable touch-stones, which convert iron into gold, and they can transform the jīvas who come in their association into touch-stones as well.

manye bhāgavataḥ sākṣāt

pārṣadān vo madhu-dvisaḥ

viṣṇor bhūtāni lokānāṁ

pāvanāya caranti hi

(Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 11.2.28)

The king of Videha, Śrī Nimi Mahārāja, is saying to Śrī Nārada, the saint among the demigods: “My lord, I understand that you are indeed an eternal associate of Bhagavān Madhusūdana, because such eternal associates travel everywhere in order to purify the materialistic living entities.”

ata ātyantikaṁ kṣemaṁ

pṛcchāmo bhāvato ’naghāḥ

saṁsāre ’smin kṣaṇārdho ’pi

sat-saṅgaḥ śevadhir nṛṇām

(Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 11.2.30)

“O great souls, who purify the three worlds! I ask you – what is the svarūpa, or nature, of supreme auspiciousness?

And what is the sādhana to attain that?

In this world, even half a moment’s association with a devotee is the cause of supreme good fortune for mankind.”

Who should the living entity remember at every moment?

8.251

‘kāṅhāra smaraṇa jīva karibe anukṣaṇa?’

‘kṛṣṇa-nāma-guṇa-līlā—pradhāna smaraṇa’

Śrīman Mahāprabhu asked: “Whom should the jīva remember at every moment?”

In the first stage of sādhana, remembrance is done forcefully, but as the living being’s oppositional stance towards Śrī Kṛṣṇa gradually diminishes, to that extent the natural remembrance of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s names, forms, qualities, and pastimes takes place. Ultimately, the devotee will not desire to discuss mundane topics, even for a second. Dedicated to not wasting even one second of time, he thus considers wasting a mere moment as being equivalent to universal devastation:

tasmāt sarvātmanā rājan

hariḥ sarvatra sarvadā

śrotavyaḥ kīrtitavyaś ca

smartavyo bhagavān nṛṇām

(Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 2.2.36)

“Therefore, O Parīkṣit, human beings, always and in every circumstance, with their complete energy, should remember, glorify, and hear about Bhagavān Śrī Hari.”

Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī in Śrī Bhakti-sandarbha has described five types of smaraṇa, or remembrance. They are:

(1) smaraṇa – to initially inquire, just slightly, about Śrī Kṛṣṇa

(2) dhāraṇā – to remember Śrī Kṛṣṇa to a limited extent

(3) dhyāna – to experience a partial manifestation, or catch a momentary vision, of Śrī Bhagavān in the heart; or to glimpse His form, dress, or ornaments

(4) dṛḍha-smṛti – to retain a fixed meditation upon Bhagavān

(5) samādhi – to receive darśana, or sphūrti, of Bhagavān’s līlās, which are filled with varieties of rasa.

Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s name, form, and pastimes are all of the same nature as Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Remembrance of Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the most important remembrance, of which the foundation, or root, is the congregational chanting of the holy name:

‘kṛṣṇa-nāma’, ‘kṛṣṇa-guṇa’, ‘kṛṣṇa-līlā’-vṛnda

kṛṣṇera svarūpa-sama—saba cid-ānanda

(Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 17.135)

“The holy name of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, His transcendental qualities and pastimes as well as the very svarūpa of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, are all equal. They are all cidānanda, or spiritual and full of bliss.”

What is the most important meditation?

8.252

‘dhyeya-madhye jīvera kartavya kon dhyāna?’

‘rādhā-kṛṣṇa-padāmbuja-dhyāna—pradhāna’

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu asked: “Of all types of meditation, which one should the jīva engage in as his actual religious duty?”

Śrīla Rāmānanda Rāya replied: “The most important meditation is to contemplate the lotus feet of Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa.”

The samādhi of the jñānīs and yogīs is nirvikalpa, a state in which the meditator, the object of meditation, and the act of meditation, do not endure. Since everything becomes śūnya, or zero, neither the realization nor the perceiver lives on. Conversely, in the samādhi of the devotees, the meditator, the object of meditation (Śrī Bhagavān), and the meditation process all continue. Meditating upon the divine pastimes of the Supreme Person, the devotee obtains a sphūrti, or a vision within the heart, of them, and he actually sees his object of meditation:

tasmād ekena manasā

bhagavān sātvatāṁ patiḥ

śrotavyaḥ kīrtitavyaś ca

dhyeyaḥ pūjyaś ca nityadā

(Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.2.14)

“Therefore, with a one-pointed mind, one should constantly hear about, chant, meditate upon, and worship Bhagavān, who is very affectionate to His devotees.”

Śrī Rāmānanda Rāya replied: “One should live in Vraja-bhūmi, Śrī Vṛndāvana, where the rāsa-līlā is eternally performed.”

Among the diverse pastimes of akhila-rasāmṛta-sindhu Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the rāsa-līlā festival reigns as the crest jewel of all. Every other pastime is contained within this rāsa-līlā, which occurred in the supreme abode, Śrī Vṛndāvana. Whoever possesses the single-minded greed to attain vraja-prema should reside only in Śrī Vṛndāvana. Śrī Rāmānanda Rāya’s precise meaning is that one should live in Vṛndāvana, which is manifest here on earth, and which is special as it provides the setting for the extraordinary rāsa-līlā. There are three principle manifestations of Śrī Vṛndāvana-dhāma: aprakaṭa, prakaṭa, and dṛśyamāna.

(1) aprakaṭa – the supreme abode, Śrī Goloka-dhāma, which exists eternally and which is entirely beyond the material elements.

(2) prakaṭa – everything that accompanies the Lord’s appearance in this world. Because Bhagavān performs His manifest pastimes here in this world, the material nature is involved in His pastimes.

(3) dṛśyamāna – that which is within the common, sensual jurisdiction of general people.

āsām aho caraṇa-reṇu-juṣām ahaṁ syāṁ

vṛndāvane kim api gulma-latauṣadhīnām

yā dustyajaṁ sva-janam ārya-pathaṁ ca hitvā

bhejur mukunda-padavīṁ śrutibhir vimṛgyām

(Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.47.61)

Śrī Uddhava is saying: “The best thing that could possibly happen for me is that I take birth in this Vṛndāvana as a forest bush, creeper, herb, or even a medicinal root. Ah! If I could become one of these then I would continuously be able to serve the foot-dust from the lotus feet of the vraja-gopīs. If I could bathe myself in their foot-dust then I would become most fortunate. How blessed are those gopīs. Just see! They have abandoned those things that are most difficult to give up – relations with their family members and the restrictions imposed by society and seniors. They have obtained the lotus feet of Bhagavān, complete absorption in those feet, and the topmost love for Him.

What more can I say?

Even the Śrutis, which are the Vedic instructions that emanate from the breathing of the Supreme Lord, are still searching for that the same super-excellent, love-laden form of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, but they cannot attain it.”

What is the best topic to hear?

8.254

‘śravaṇa-madhye jīvera kon śreṣṭha śravaṇa?’

‘rādhā-kṛṣṇa-prema-keli karṇa-rasāyana’

Śrīman Mahāprabhu asked: “Out of all topics to hear, which topic is the best for the living entity?”

Śrī Rāmānanda Rāya replied: “Hearing about the amorous affairs of Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa, which is like a medicinal tonic for the ears (karṇa-rasāyana), is the best of all.”

What to speak of the jīvas, even rasika-śekhara Śrī Kṛṣṇa hears the songs describing His own loving affairs. After taking complete sannyāsa, Śrī Bilvamaṅgala Ṭhākura was traveling towards Śrī Vṛndāvana, singing about the sweet amorous pastimes of Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa. Being unable to withhold Himself, Śrī Kṛṣṇa began following behind him, listening to his singing. Eventually, those songs were compiled into a book by the same Śrī Bilvamaṅgala Ṭhākura, entitled Śrī Kṛṣṇa-karṇāmṛta [meaning “that which pours nectar into the ears of Śrī Kṛṣṇa”]. The amorous affairs of Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa are compared to the most vital rasāyana, life-restoring tonic. Śravaṇa, or hearing, is of two types: vicāra-pradhāna and ruci-pradhāna.

In vicāra (22) -pradhāna, the hearer is full of doubts, just like Arjuna. In ruci-pradhāna, the hearer has no doubts in the statements of the scriptures, and he hears the descriptions of the qualities of the Lord, with great relish. Śrī Nārada is an example of this. It is also written:

vikrīḍitaṁ vraja-vadhūbhir idaṁ ca viṣṇoḥ

śraddānvito ’nuśṛṇuyād atha varṇayed yaḥ

bhaktiṁ parāṁ bhāgavati pratilabhya kāmaṁ

hṛd-rogam āśv apahinoty acireṇa dhīraḥ

(Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.33.40)

“O Parīkṣit, a grave person who faithfully and continuously hears the narrations of the transcendental pastimes that Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa performed with the young girls of Vraja, and then describes those pastimes accordingly, achieves supreme devotion for the lotus feet of Bhagavān. He very quickly attains freedom from the diseases of the heart, which are the transformations of lust.”

What is the most worshipable object?

8.255

‘upāsyera madhye kon upāsya pradhāna?’

‘śreṣṭha upāsya—yugala ‘rādhā-kṛṣṇa’ nāma’

Śrīman Mahāprabhu asked: “Among all worshipable objects, which is the best?”

“The name ‘Rādhā’ is just like fresh, pleasing nectar that enchants the mind, and the name ‘Kṛṣṇa’ is like astonishingly sweet and thick condensed milk. O tongue tortured by thirst, mix the two together, add the fragrant ice of anurāga and continuously drink this superb beverage.”

Śrī Narottama Ṭhākura also says:

rādhā-kṛṣṇa nāma gāṇa, ei se parama dhyāna, āra nā kariha paramāṇa

The chanting of the holy names of Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa is the supreme meditation. Do not accept any other process as the goal”

(Śrī Prema-bhakti-candrikā, song 6 text 15).

Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the very source, or root cause, of all incarnations (bhāgavat-svarūpa), and His hlādinī-śakti is Śrī Rādhā. Among couples such as Śrī Śiva-Pārvatī, Śrī Lakṣmī-Nārāyaṇa, Śrī Sītā-Rāma, and Śrī Rukmiṇī-Kṛṣṇa, the name of the Divine Couple Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa is indeed the ultimate object of worship for the jīvas:

etāvān eva loke ’smin

puṁsāṁ dharmaḥ paraḥ smṛtaḥ

bhakti-yogo bhāgavati

tan-nāma-grahaṇādibhiḥ

(Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 6.3.22)

“The supreme religious activity, or duty, for the jīvas of this world is to attain devotional sentiments for the lotus feet of the Lord, by methods such as chanting the holy names.”

What is the fate of those desiring liberation and those desiring sense gratification?

8.256

‘mukti, bhukti vāñche yei, kāṅhā duṅhāra gati?’

‘sthāvara-deha, deva-deha yaiche avasthiti’

Śrīman Mahāprabhu asked: “What is the fate of those who desire liberation and of those who desire sense gratification?”

Śrī Rāmānanda Rāya replied: “Those who desire liberation and those who desire sense gratification achieve the bodies of non-moving species and demigods, respectively.”

Those who perform pious activities in this world achieve the bodies of Indra (the king of heaven) or other demigods. Alternatively, they are born into a high-class human family. And those who perform inauspicious activities repeatedly take the bodies of non-moving species (such as trees), worms, insects, birds, and beasts. Those desirous of liberation, who do not have any desire to enjoy materially, or in other words, those whose activities are bereft of consciousness and whose consciousness is in a sleep-like state, attain the bodies of non-moving species of life; while those who are dedicated to material enjoyment attain bodies appropriate for their desires by taking birth in the higher planets as demigods.

muktyai yaḥ prastaratvāya śāstramūce mahāmuniḥ

gautamaṁ taṁ vijānītha yathā vittha tathaiva saḥ

“Those who merge in the undifferentiated Brahman (sāyujya-mukti) become unconscious like stones, and achieve a state of spiritual inactivity (destruction). And those who follow the theories of Gautama become liberated and achieve a similar state.”

The following pertains to those who are possessed of desires for material enjoyment:

iṣṭveha devatā yajñaiḥ

svar-lokaṁ yāti yājñikaḥ

bhuñjīta deva-vat tatra

bhogān divyān nijārjitān

(Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 11.10.23)

“One who worships the demigods, upon receiving the result of his pious activities, goes to the heavenly planets where he enjoys just like a demigod.”

kvacit pumān kvacic ca strī

kvacin nobhayam andha-dhīḥ

devo manuṣyas tiryag vā

yathā-karma-guṇaṁ bhāvaḥ

(Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 4.29.29)

“According to the work he has performed and the modes of nature he has acquired, the living entity takes birth sometimes as a human being, sometimes as a demigod, and sometimes as a bird, an animal, and so on. Blinded by ignorance, the jīva sometimes becomes a man, a woman, and sometimes a eunuch.”

In the Śrīmad Bhāgavad-gītā (9.20–21), also, it says:

trai-vidyā māṁ soma-pāḥ pūta-pāpā

yajñair iṣṭvā svar-gatiṁ prārthayante

te puṇyam āsādya surendra-lokam

aśnanti divyān divi deva-bhogān

te taṁ bhuktvā svarga-lokaṁ viśālaṁ

kṣīṇe puṇye martya-lokaṁ viśanti

evaṁ trayī-dharmam anuprapannā

gatāgataṁ kāma-kāmā labhante

“Those who are full of material desires and dedicated to fruitive activities mentioned in the three Vedas, worship Me and drink somarasa, the remnants of yajña, and pray to ascend to heaven. By the result of their pious activities, they achieve the planet of Indra and enjoy the divine paraphernalia suitable for the demigods.”

“After having enjoyed the vast expanses of the heavenly planets, when their stock of pious activities is exhausted, then again they fall into this world of birth and death. Thus, persons who practice this sakāma-karma, or reward oriented activity as described in the three Vedas, are full of petty material desires, and they repeatedly wander in the cycle of birth and death.”

The observation has been made that in some books, the words mukti-bhukti have been substituted for the words mukti-bhakti. It follows that those who desire bhakti, at the time of perfection, achieve the bodies of associates of Śrī Kṛṣṇa that are suitable to their moods, and render loving service to Him in concordance with their respective bhāvas, or feelings of servitude. Their attainment of this service to the Lord has been compared to attaining the body of demigods. As a result of gaining service to Śrī Kṛṣṇa and obtaining a body like that of a demigod, the word bhakti is sometimes used instead of bhukti, for just as the demigods have freedom to enjoy varieties of happiness, so, too, a devotee attaining an associate’s body gets to taste an array of the most astonishing rasa by participating in Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes.

8.257–260

arasa-jña kāka cuṣe jñāna-nimba-phale

rasa-jña kokila khāya premāmra-mukule

abhāgiyā jñānī āsvādaye śuṣka jñāna

kṛṣṇa-premāmṛta pāna kare bhāgyavān

ei-mata dui jana kṛṣṇa-kathā-rase

nṛtya-gīta-rodane haila rātri-śeṣe

doṅhe nija-nija-kārye calilā vihāne

sandhyā-kāle rāya āsi’ mililā āra dine

“Impersonalists (brahma-jñānīs) who are devoid of knowledge of transcendental mellows are like the crows that continue to eat the bitter and tasteless fruit of the neem tree, whereas those who enjoy the mellows of bhakti-rasa (rasikas) are like the cuckoos who taste the soft and fragrant buds of the mango of prema. The unfortunate empiric speculators (jñānīs) simply experience the happiness of dry and tasteless impersonal knowledge, and consider themselves fortunate. However, those who are truly fortunate constantly drink the nectar of kṛṣṇa-prema. The jñānīs remain ignorant of the happiness of bhakti-rasa, and merely desire to achieve the sāyujya-mukti of merging into Brahman, which is dry (nīrasa), devoid of attributes, and which has no taste, form, qualities, pastimes, or astonishing varieties of bliss. Thus they remain absorbed in the delusion of the supposed oneness of the jīva and Brahman (brahma-aikya-jñāna), which has no real existence at all. Being cheated of bhakti-rasa, they simply chew the fruits of the neem tree in the form of the four supposed mahā-vākyas, or principle statements, of the Vedas, by chanting aham brahmāsmi (I am Brahman), etc.”

Śrī Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī has said that this false knowledge is like the bitter fruit of the neem tree, which is very unpalatable and which is enjoyed by crow-like jīvas who are quarrelsome and attached to false logic. Thus prema is likened to the buds of a mango tree, whose taste is sweet, well liked, and full of flavourful juice. The devotees of Śrī Kṛṣṇa who taste this are compared to cuckoos. They are fortunate, while the jñānīs are bereft of good fortune.

In this way, Śrīman Mahāprabhu and Rāmānanda Rāya passed the full night, relishing the rasa of kṛṣṇa-kathā, or topics of Kṛṣṇa, and thus as they chanted, danced, and wept, the night ended. The next morning they departed to perform their respective duties, but in the evening Śrī Rāmānanda Rāya returned to meet the Lord again and pass the whole night as before.